Living Off-Campus

Living on-campus is the single, best predictor of success in a student's early college years! National statistics indicate, year after year, that students who live on-campus are more involved in school activities, more likely to take advantage of campus academic resources, build a greater number of significant relationships with faculty, students and staff, and feel an overall sense of belonging not as prevalent in those students living off-campus.

For these crucial reasons, Transition Services strongly encourages students to attend post-secondary schools that offer on-campus housing for freshmen and upperclassmen. The CES program will NOT pay any tuition, fees, room and board costs for students living off-campus during their first or second year of school (unless the school does not offer housing). First and second year students who APPLY FOR HOUSING ON-TIME, but are not able to find on-campus housing due to limited space, may complete a CES Housing Waiver Form to appeal for CES assistance.

Below are some important guidelines to consider before deciding whether to move off-campus:

• CES funding towards "off-campus room and board" expenses (called Living Allowance) will NOT exceed the STANDARD costs for living on-campus at your school. Standard costs are defined as 2-person (double) "dorm" room and 15-19 meal plan;
• Most academic years are 9 months in length (September-May), and hence, most living allowance payments are based on 9 months. Students should try to secure a 9-month lease because the CES program will not support housing costs for months in which our graduates are not full-time students (most commonly over the summer);
• You must submit a signed copy of your lease before CES funds will be released;
• The living allowance is intended to help support your rent, utility, and meal costs;
• Students receiving living allowance funds must have a checking account in their name in order to deposit CES funds and make rent and utility payments. Milton Hershey School may periodically request copies of canceled rent checks or utility bill information as documentation that CES funds are being properly utilized;
• If you choose to live off-campus, you incur the risk of increased utility costs and other factors that come along with being an off-campus renter. You are responsible for paying for such increases and for other unknown cost factors that go along with off-campus living;
• For students at semester schools, 50% of the living allowance will be sent to the student via check at the beginning of each semester and the other 50% will be sent at the mid-point of the semester. Distributing payments over the span of the semester helps to reduce the number of incidents of fund mismanagement by students. Due to the shorter length of the terms, students at quarter/trimester schools will have 100% of their living allowance check sent at the beginning of each term.
• Students have the sole responsibility to open up a checking account, budget their living allowance resources, and to pay landlords and utility companies on-time. No advances will be made to students who mismanage or lose their living allowance funds - or for any other circumstances;
• For students at schools not offering on-campus housing, standard on-campus figures from the nearest post-secondary schools will be used to calculate the living allowance;
• No CES living allowance payments will be made to students living with family members or who are subletting a room from "a friend" or Milton Hershey School staff member. In these circumstances, students are considered to be living "at home" (commuter) and will only be eligible for the standard commuter board (meal) allowance;
• To safeguard the authenticity of the lease, living allowance checks will be mailed to the street address on the signed lease only.